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Neshoba County General Hospital-Nursing Home, a small, rural hospital in Philadelphia, Mississippi, shares their success story as a participant in the Magnolia-Evergreen ACO. In its first year, 2016, the ACO has performed with a projected savings of $10.9M, resulting in a reduction in cost of 8.4% or $900 per Medicare Beneficiary. The ACO has decreased ED visits by 13.2%, Inpatient Cost by 17.7%, and SNF cost by 22.6%, while at the same time improved ACO combined Net Revenue of $30 million. The Neshoba hospital’s quality outcomes and patient satisfaction also improved. McCall cited board education and physician education and support as being key ACO success factors, as well as gaining access to comprehensive Medicare patient information. Dr. Cannon remarked that even with additional physician responsibilities for value payments, the presence of a care coordination team provided the physicians with valuable assistance in managing the overall care of the patients. According to Dr. Cannon, the ACO experience has resulted in “improved medical care and a better patient experience.” McCall concluded, “rural collaboration works, even when it’s with hospitals in a different state.”

This project is/was supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number UB1RH24206, Information Services to Rural Hospital Flexibility Program Grantees, $1,100,000 (0% financed with nongovernmental sources). This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.

Upcoming Events

Selected hospitals should reserve the following dates and prepare to participate in four Learning Collaborative (LC) virtual meetings. More information will be provided to selected hospitals. LCs will be used to share information across projects to transition them to population health.

Selected hospitals should reserve the following dates and prepare to participate in four Learning Collaborative (LC) virtual meetings. More information will be provided to selected hospitals. LCs will be used to share information across projects to transition them to population health.